The race prior, the GIII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. won by Elusive Princess (Martinborough {Jpn}), did run as expected, although it was contested in pouring rain.

Saturday's racing, which includes the GI Whitney S. and two other Grade I events, is expected to be conducted as usual. The Hall of Fame S. has been rescheduled for Friday, Aug. 11 with entries to be drawn on Sunday, Aug. 6.

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Prat took the $200,000 Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes on Friday aboard Public Sector ($3.80) for trainer Chad Brown. Saturday, the same combination scored in the $120,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure Stakes with Flavius ($4.70).

Prat was fourth, beaten 6 ¾ lengths by Bella Sofia, aboard Always Carina for Brown in the $500,000 Grade 1 Longines Test Stakes. One race later on the card, Del Mar-based Hall of Famer Mike Smith was fifth, beaten 4 ½-lengths by 21-1 long shot State of Rest, aboard Secret Protector for English trainer Charles Appleby.

Meanwhile, Del Mar's pair of Grade 2 events on Saturday were won by riders with a combined total age of 100 and combined total experience of 62,819 races and 11,591 wins.

Joe Bravo, 49 for another month, took the first of the back-to-back stakes, the $200,500 Best Pal, getting Pappacap to settle nicely behind dueling front runners then swooping to a 4 3/4-length score. According to Equibase statistics, Bravo ended the day with 30,507 career races and 5,505 wins.

“His (only previous) race in Florida, he was just pure speed,” Bravo said. “You don't know if that's the way they like to go. I was glad to see how well he settled in behind those two up front. He showed another dimension today.”

Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, 51, won the $200,000 Yellow Ribbon on Princess Grace for trainer Mike Stidham. At Desormeaux's urging, the 4-year-old filly shot through a gap between horses at the top of the stretch to take the lead and was never headed in winning by 1 ¼ lengths.

“Michael told me one thing before the race that I used to advantage,” Desormeaux related. “He said, 'She's brave.' When that hole opened turning for home, I sent her through and she went right on with it.”

Desormeaux, who missed much of 2020 while addressing personal issues, has 32,312 career starts and 6,086 wins according to Equibase statistics.

“I'm so happy for Kent,” Stidham said. “He's so talented, an amazing rider, and the way he came through that hole with (Princess Grace) was terrific.”

Bravo stands fifth in the Del Mar rider standings with nine wins from 53 mounts. Desormeaux is in seventh place with seven victories in 45 starts.

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The 37th edition of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, slated for Race 7, is part of a loaded Friday card that includes the $120,000 Alydar in Race 8, a nine-furlong test for older horses who have not won a sweepstakes in 2021 other than state-bred; and the $200,000 Grade 3 Troy presented by Horse Racing Ireland, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older horses in Race 9.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, Wolfie's Dynaghost graduated at first asking at odds of 33-1 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight in November over a good main track at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. The Ghostzapper bay, out of the Dynaformer mare Dynaire, returned to action in May when running a distant fifth in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan over a Belmont Park main track rated fast.

Last out, in an off-the-turf optional-claiming event at 1 1/16-miles on July 3 at Belmont, Wolfie's Dynaghost relished the sloppy and sealed surface, bounding away to a two-length front-running score.

Wolfie's Dynaghost posted his first recorded breeze on turf Sunday, covering a half-mile in :51.10 on the Oklahoma training turf in company with older allowance winner Duress [:52.65].

With Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, Wolfie's Dynaghost tracked outside Duress before advancing through the turn and powering to the inside of his workmate for the stretch run, finishing up his breeze with vigor.

“It looked like he was really striding out well over it and it looked like he got a good hold of it. Irad was really happy with the work,” Albertrani said. “He galloped out strong, too. It was a really good work.”

“He showed a great turn of foot when Irad asked him. He responded really quickly,” Albertrani continued. “When he gave him his cue, he quickened up nicely and galloped out good. I got him in :51 and he galloped out in 1:02 and change.”

Albertrani said he is hopeful that Wolfie's Dynaghost will show the same affinity for turf as his half-sibling and stablemate Sadler's Joy, a Grade 1-winner on turf with more than $2.6 million in earnings through 37 career starts.

“He has a lot of turf pedigree to him and if he's anything like his half-brother, we're optimistic that he'll run well,” Albertrani said. “He's run well on two wet tracks. The Peter Pan was a bit of a head-scratcher. It could have been a combination of maybe he wasn't 100 percent tight that day or the dry track, too. Maybe he was looking for turf all along.

“We came back and tried him on the grass and it came off so we ran him anyway, and he was really impressive,” Albertrani added. “I think we're still in a phase with him and learning more about him, but I think this distance is perfect for him, and if the grass moves him up a step or two, even better.”

Wolfie's Dynaghost will exit post 8 under Ortiz, Jr.

Trainer Mark Casse, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, will saddle Breeze Easy's Easy Time.

“I can't think of anything better than to get inducted in the morning and win it in the afternoon,” Casse said with a laugh.

Easy Time, by Not This Time, graduated at first asking, sprinting seven furlongs on Woodbine's Tapeta main track in October, but didn't resurface until January when off-the-board in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man on dirt at Gulfstream.

The dark bay, purchased for $250,000 at the OBS July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, tried the Gulfstream turf in February when second by a neck in a one-mile optional claimer.

Last out, Easy Time returned to synthetic and made the grade with a two-length win in the Grade 3 Marine at 1 1/16-miles on July 11 at Woodbine.

“Easy Time is a nice horse. He broke his maiden impressively,” Casse said. “We tried him on the dirt at Gulfstream and he probably wasn't ready to do that. He came back and had a troubled trip over the grass at Gulfstream and came out of it with a minor setback, so we gave him some time at our training center in Ocala. He was impressive last time.

“I think he's a pretty good horse,” Casse continued. “Judging by his only performance on the grass at Gulfstream, I don't think grass is an issue.”

Easy Time will exit post 4 under Tyler Gaffalione.

Trainer John Terranova entered a strong one-two punch in Eric Fein's Original and Ranger Fox but said it's possible one of his entrants could scratch in favor of a start in the $120,000 Better Talk Now on August 29 at one-mile on the Spa turf.

Both horses worked a half-mile solo on the Oklahoma training turf Saturday with maiden winner Ranger Fox clocked in :51.66 and graded-stakes placed Original in :51.23.

“I'm not sure that both will run, but both worked very well,” Terranova said. “I thought Ranger Fox breezed really well yesterday and he's really stepping forward, so I figured we'll put him in there and take a look at the race.”

Ranger Fox, a Nyquist bay, is out of the Quality Road mare Xtra Spice, whose dam is Hall of Famer Xtra Heat.

Purchased for $310,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Ranger Fox graduated last out at fourth asking in a seven-furlong maiden special weight against older horses over good Belmont turf.

With Joel Rosario up, Ranger Fox tracked in third before taking command at the stretch call en route to a 5 1/2-length score, garnering a career-best 85 Beyer.

“He's a colt with talent. He just needed a little time to mature,” Terranova said. “There's a lot of room to go forward with this guy. He's doing really well right now and he's trained on forward since his maiden win at Belmont.

“He's matured quite a bit,” added Terranova. “It was nice to see it set up last time and that he handled it without issue. He was real handy and it gives us options going forward as far as stretching out when he's able to relax early.”

Original, a Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road with Luis Saez up for the second time following a third in an optional claimer on June 4 at Belmont Park, set a moderate pace over good going in the Manila, kicking two lengths clear of the field at the stretch call en route to a head score in the one-mile Widener turf test.

“Luis got to know him the first time he rode him and it worked out last time,” Terranova said. “He handled the softer ground last time too which is encouraging. Both horses have handled softer going which is good given what we've seen with the weather so far up in Saratoga. We couldn't be in better hands with Luis and Joel on our horses.”

Ranger Fox was assigned post 3 under Rosario, while Original would exit post 6 under Saez.

Rounding out the field are multiple stakes winner Annex [post 1, Junior Alvarado]; graded-stakes placed Public Sector [post 2, Flavien Prat]; maiden winner In Effect [post 5, Jose Lezcano]; and Next [post 7, John Velazquez], last-out winner of the one-mile War Chant on the Churchill Downs turf.

First post on Friday's 10-race card is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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Photographs for consideration must be submitted by May 10, 2021. A panel of judges representing both the racing and arts communities will select the photographs for the exhibition, which will open in November 2021 in the von Stade Gallery.

Application forms will be available at the Museum front desk and can be downloaded from the Museum’s website here. If you have any questions, contact Curator Victoria Reisman at VReisman@racingmuseum.net or (518) 584-0400 ext. 113.

The second annual Photo Finish exhibition will remain on display in through Jan. 31, 2021. The online exhibition will be available on the Museum website through Summer 2021 and can be accessed here.

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In partnership with West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman and William Sandbrook, Manning has watched her horse cross the wire first in a juvenile maiden race at Saratoga, then the GI Summer S., the Cuter Bay S., the GII Pennine Ridge S. and most recently, the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S.

Even with such a lengthy collection of victories, the Virginia resident still has yet to join her colt in the winner’s circle.

“I almost don’t even want to say this out loud, but I’ve never seen him win in person,” Manning said. “The only races I’ve been to were his first start [a close second at Saratoga] and the Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile Turf, where he finished fourth after a troubled trip]. So now I’m a little nervous to go see him run.”

Although she’s just getting started in her journey as an owner, Manning has been a fan of the sport since childhood.

“Even as a little kid, I enjoyed horse racing,” she recounted. “I was lucky enough to grow up in the ’70s, so Secretariat, Affirmed and Alydar are the first horses I remember. My dad was into horse racing, so we would watch on TV. I was your typical horse-crazy kid.”

It wasn’t until a few years ago that her interest in racing became something more.

“When I went to college, I stopped riding and horses kind of slipped out of my life,” she said.  “But I always continued to follow racing. Then I started to get closer to the age of 50. And when that happened, I started thinking, ‘Alright, I’m going to do something for myself.'”

Manning bought in on two 2-year-olds through West Point Thoroughbreds in 2016 and as she notes, “away we went.”

“Ownership was way more than I expected going in,” she said. “That first summer, coming up to Saratoga for the first time was quite the experience- being a total newbie on the backstretch and watching one of my horses run there. I felt like everyone in the industry was so welcoming. Even if you don’t know what the heck you’re talking about, everyone wants to help give you the information you need without making you feel stupid.”

That same year, a third juvenile on the West Point roster named Arch of the Diver (Arch) caught her eye.

“He was a bit more on the expensive side, so I tried to be practical and buy into two horses for the price of one,” Manning said. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about him, so I ended up buying into him.”

Arch of the Diver showed promise early on, but endured several injury-induced setbacks. It wasn’t until he was a 4-year-old that he broke his maiden at Saratoga by almost 10 lengths.

“I cried so hard,” Manning said with a laugh.

The gelding later won at Delaware Park, scoring a 93 Beyer Figure, but soon after an injury forced the West Point team to retire him. They turned to Manning to ask if ‘Archie’ could find a new home with his biggest fan.

“They knew I loved him and that he would be going to a really good home,” Manning said. “So when they asked me I said, ‘Yes. We will figure it out. We will make it happen.'”

While Archie has yet to start a new career under saddle, he is thriving at his new home in Virginia.

“This horse is the biggest klutz. It’s a miracle he raced at all, let alone won two races,” Manning joked. “The hope is to eventually get him under saddle and see what he wants to do, even if it’s just hack around and be a trail horse. But if he ends up being a pasture pet, that’s great too.”

Even though Manning has only been involved in racing for five years, she’s already giving back to the sport through her dedication to aftercare and has big plans to do more.

“Eventually I could see myself having the Northern Virginia Home for Wayward Thoroughbreds, or something like that,” she said.

At around the same time of Arch of the Diver’s retirement, a yearling with Arch as a broodmare sire became available.

“I really like turf horses, and the fact that he was out of an Arch mare really sold him for me,” Manning recalled.

Soon after, she was in on Decorated Invader’s ownership.

Decorated Invader claims the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. | Coglianese

“If you could line up Northern Dancer, Danzig, War Front, and Decorated Invader, the similarities would be so striking. It’s quite a lineage,” she said.

Her ownership on Decorated Invader has quickly become a family affair.

“When we were in Saratoga last summer, my sister Cathy fell in love with him,” Manning said. “She was going on and on about how amazing he was after his first race when he ran second. I had an odd percentage on him, so I said, ‘happy birthday’ and gave her a small percentage. She says it was the best birthday present ever. She always liked horses and enjoyed going to the track with me, but with Decorated Invader, she knew he was The Horse, and now she’s gotten the bug.”

Manning has also introduced her 13-year-old niece Vivienne to horse racing.

“From day one, Vivienne has been my silent partner,” she said. “She unofficially owns half the horses I partner in. She’s your typical horse-crazy girl. What did we do for her Christmas break? We went to Florida to visit Payson Park and she was thrilled.”

For years, Vivienne and Manning also had their own riding horse that they owned together.

“Unfortunately he passed away in February of cancer,” Manning said. “So this year has really sucked, but Decorated Invader has sort of made up for a lot of not-so-great things.”

Manning remembers the Cutler Bay S. in March at Gulfstream as her favorite race of the season.

“Midway through the race he was totally out of it,” she said. “And you’re like, ‘Oh that’s fine, it’s his first race this year.’ And then all of a sudden, he turns on an extra gear and wows us all. The way he won that day was amazing.  That’s when we knew it was going to be a fun year.”

Of course, having one of the hottest trainers on the Saratoga backstretch in Christophe Clement is a definite asset.

“I can’t believe that barn,” Manning said. “They so deserve it. One of the deciding factors for me in buying a horse through West Point is if it’s going to Clement.”

Manning shared that while Clement’s assistant trainer and son Miguel says Decorated Invader acts studish whenever he’s working with the colt, Manning finds that the bay is nothing less than a gentleman when she comes to the barn with carrots in hand.

“He’s a very nice horse,” she said. “He’s so smart, you get that vibe from him right away. He’s got that intelligent eye. I’m so thankful to Terry Finley, Bill Freeman, Bill Sandbrook, as well as the West Point buying team and David Ingordo for finding Decorated Invader and letting me join the party. He’s definitely special, and he knows he’s special..”

West Point’s COO Tom Bellhouse said that Decorated Invader has an equally-special owner.

“Cheri is a dream partner,” he said. “She’s a great person. She takes the good news with the bad, and is always so supportive. She’s a big believer in the animal and for caring for the animal. Any time you spend with Cheri, it will put a smile on your face.”

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“The challenge is when you have a horse that’s a standout in a short field, there’s going to be a target on his back,” said Terry Finley of co-ownerWest Point Thoroughbreds. “The break and the first eighth of a mile will be important. Ultimately, it will be up to [jockey] Joel [Rosario]. He really fits the horse. When they walk out of the paddock, you just have so much confidence and no concerns that you’ll get a top class ride from him. It’s very good to have the option to be a closer, but we have seen time and time again where you have the best horse in the race, and they [the pacesetters] don’t come back.”

Decorated Invader isn’t the only Christophe Clement-trained son of Declaration of War entered in the Hall of Fame–he’ll also send out Gufo, who has won his last four starts, including Delaware’s GIII Kent S. over this distance two weeks ago.

Hall of Famer Bill Mott owns a record seven victories in this race–including in 2019–and will be represented by June 20 Churchill allowance winner Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon). Future Hall of Famer won this event four years in a row from 2015 to 2018 (he also won it in 2011), and will saddle two-for-two Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) for Seth Klarman’s Klarvich Stables.

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Piloted by Joel Rosario, who later guided Oleksandra to victory in the Grade 1 Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, Decorated Invader broke sharply from the rail tracking pacesetter Proven Strategies and took command to the inside around the far turn to draw off to a 4 ¾-length victory as the heavy favorite.

“He came out of the race well. There are two stakes at Saratoga. We'll see how he trains, but the plan is to go there,” Clement said. “We'll go there and if he's fine, we'll do both and if he needs the extra time then we can just run in the Saratoga Derby. He looked great this morning.”

Owned by Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, William Freeman and Cheryl Manning, Declaration of War made his 2020 bow when taking the Cutler Bay over the turf on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. A winner of four races all over different surfaces, the colt by Declaration of War took the Grade 1 Summer at Woodbine en route to a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf – his lone off-the-board effort.

Oak Bluff Stables' seven-time stakes winning New York-bred Therapist is a candidate for either the $100,000 Kingston going 1 1/16 miles on July 5 or the $75,000 Banrock going six furlongs.

“He just worked this morning with Irad Ortiz, Jr. and looked great,” Clement said. “He has two options both for New York-breds either the Kingston or the Banrock a few days later.”

The son of Freud was victorious against open company in the last out First Defense, which was his first victory since taking the Elusive Quality last April.

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